OK, Am now on Day 3 and have had no problem with having put my little CPQs in with the Italians....bit of a tussle on day 1 as they sorted out the pecking order and explored their new habitat but doesn't seem to be any bullying going on.

One small injury with a cut head [cleaned and disinfected the wound and then put on a bit of antiseptic cream, seems to be healing really well].

Have one slight problem though, on the first and second nights I manually popped them back into the new coop and closed the door [the run is foxproof but obviously I wanted them to sleep inside in the warm coop rather than outside on the ground] but now on night 3 they still don't seem to be getting the hang of it and are doing a little Quailey sit down protest outside refusing to go in!

It's fairly warm and dry here so I'm not too worried but I would like them to go in at night if possible especially as I;d like them to be warm and dry.

Can anyone advise? The CPQs were owned by someone who kept them in the bottom of an aviary so I'm not sure if they've ever had their own "bedroom" and the Italians have come from two different sources one had them in the bottom of a Parrot cage [waaaaayyyyyy too small a space for them] and the others from a small outside pen but again I don't know if they had a coop to go into.

Anyone got any ideas? I thought about offering little mugs of Horlicks but think that might be taking it a bit too far!!!

Thanks for the replies.It'scomforting to know that I'm not the only one with willfull little critters.I checked this morning and the were all piled up together in a feathery heap in one corner of the run. Frightened the life out of me at first as it looked like they'd all morphed into one gigantic Quail I have a tarp that I can pop over the top of the run if they continue to stay out overnight so hopefully if the weather gets really cold and wet this will keep them a little out of the elements...I think one or two may have gone inside...maybe they will pop inside when the weather gets chillierLisa-Dawn